The Ballad of Black Tom
| "The Ballad of Black Tom" | |
|---|---|
Tor.com | |
| Publication date | February 16, 2016 |
| Pages | 149 |
The Ballad of Black Tom is a 2016 fantasy-horror novella by Victor LaValle, revisiting H. P. Lovecraft's story "The Horror at Red Hook" from the viewpoint of a black man.
Synopsis
In 1924
Reception
"The Ballad of Black Tom" won the 2016
Slate called it "riveting", "clever", and "compelling", and noted LaValle's comparison of "cosmic indifference" to targeted racist malice and brutality.[8] Vice described it as "tightly written, beautifully creepy, and politically resonant", and emphasized that despite its nature as a literary "rebuttal", it is still "a thrilling Lovecraftian tale of mystery, monsters, and madness".[9]
Nina Allan commended LaValle for "making (...) 'The Horror at Red Hook' (into) an actual story (...) featuring real characters with real motivations – a claim that can not safely be made for the original tale", but observed that — when compared to the vivid "lunacy" of Lovecraft's writing — LaValle's prose is "grounded and sound in both mind and body" and ultimately "pedestrian".[10] Conversely, the Philadelphia Inquirer preferred LaValle's "sharp and direct sentences" to Lovecraft's "spongy prose".[11]
Adaptations
In 2017, AMC announced that it was planning a TV adaptation of The Ballad of Black Tom, with LaValle as co-executive producer.[12]
References
- ^ 2016 Shirley Jackson Awards, retrieved October 7, 2017
- ^ 2016 Bram Stoker Awards final ballot; at Horror.org; retrieved October 7, 2017
- Science Fiction Writers of America; published February 20, 2017; retrieved October 7, 2017
- ^ British Fantasy Awards 2017 – Shortlists, by Phil Lunt, at the British Fantasy Society; published July 14, 2017; retrieved October 7, 2017
- ^ Sturgeon Award finalists Archived 2012-06-15 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved October 7, 2017
- ^ 2017 Hugo Awards, at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved October 7, 2017
- Locus Online; published July 26, 2017; retrieved October 7, 2017
- ^ Lovecraft’s Black Monsters, by Tammy Oler, at Slate; published March 9, 2016; retrieved October 7, 2017
- ^ Victor LaValle’s New Novel Is H. P. Lovecraft, Without the Horrific Racism, by Lincoln Michel, at Vice; published March 2, 2016; retrieved October 7, 2017
- ^ #weird2016: The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle, reviewed by Nina Allan, at NinaAllan.co.uk; published April 23, 2016; retrieved October 7, 2017
- ^ 'Ballad of Black Tom' Out-Lovecrafts Lovecraft, by Ryan Teitman, in the Philadelphia Inquirer; published July 31, 2016; retrieved October 7, 2017
- ^ AMC’s “Ballad of Black Tom” Will Get Caught in a Lovecraftian Conspiracy, by John Squires, at Bloody Disgusting; published July 31, 2017; retrieved October 7, 2017
External links
- 'The Ballad Of Black Tom' Offers A Tribute To And Critique Of Lovecraft: Victor LaValle interviewed on National Public Radio's Fresh Air
- Excerpt from "The Ballad of Black Tom", at Tor.com
- GUEST INTERVIEW Ardi Alspach Chats with Victor LaValle About Lovecraft, Racism and THE BALLAD OF BLACK TOM, at SF Signal
- The Big Idea: Victor LaValle, essay by LaValle on the process of writing the story, at Whatever